Never Again
by Ellivia22
Summary: It was just a harmless prank. Nobody was supposed to get hurt. Especially the person I love the most. Zack/Cody NOT twincest! Read and Review :


(A/N: Hi guys, I'm back with another story. This one is set before "Bermuda Triangle" I hope you like it. Read and review please :)

Disclaimer: If I owned Suite Life, I would've gotten Cody and Bailey back together by now.

******Never Again**

******By: Ellivia22**

******Zack**

___It's all my fault. It's all my fault. It's all my fault_.

My head is buried in my arms. My body is shaking from the sobs that are escaping me. I'm sitting in the ship's infirmary next to my unconscious brother. It was just a harmless prank. He wasn't supposed to get hurt.

___I hid behind the wall and waited for my victim to approach. I was about to pull one of my favorite pranks on my brother. I couldn't wait to see the look on his face. I peeked out and saw Cody approaching. Then I pulled back to make sure to not be in view. This was going to be awesome!_

___"OOF!" A grin spread across my face. He fell into my trap. "ZACK!"_

___I came out of my hiding place laughing hysterically. "Hey Cody," I said to my twin, who was hanging upside down over the railing._

___He glared at me furiously. "LET ME DOWN!"_

___I was still laughing. "And miss everyone's reaction? Fat chance." I turned and started walking away._

___Cody's voice changed from angry to terrified. "I'm serious. LET ME DOWN!"_

___I turned and grinned back at him. "See you later." I was almost out of sight when the most unexpected thing happened._

___SNAP!_

___The next thing I heard was my brother's terrified scream, a loud THUD, and a splash. My heart clenched. I turned around quickly. The rope I had Cody dangling from snapped. I rushed over to the railing. "CODY!"_

___He had disappeared into the waves. Luckily we were in port. My heart started thudding hard against my chest, my body shaking. What have I done? Quickly I rushed over to the glass case close by and broke it. Then I hit the emergency button. The alarm was so loud it hurt my ears, but I didn't care._

___Almost immediately a serviceman rushed over to me. "What's the emergency?"_

___I had a hard time finding my voice. "M-my brother," I choked out, pointing a shaky finger toward the waves._

___The serviceman shouted in his walkie talkie and hurried off. My whole body became numb as I watched them lift my little brother out of the water five minutes later. He wasn't moving. Seeing them pull Cody out of the water snapped me out of my trance. I hurried over as they brought him back onto the ship._

___Tears started flowing down my eyes as I saw him. His entire body was blue, except for the dark blood that was seeping from a nasty looking head wound. "He's not breathing. We need to get him to the infirmary. NOW," one of the men shouted._

___My knees buckled from under me. I lost control of everything and started sobbing. _I killed him___I thought to myself in despair_. I killed my own twin.

I break out of my flashback and turn my attention back to my brother. Luckily the doctor on board managed to get Cody to start breathing again, but he's still unconscious from his head hitting the side of the ship. The doctor said Cody was going to be all right, but I still had doubts. It's been three hours and he still hasn't woken up yet. Mr. Moseby gave me a stern lecture, but I didn't listen. All I care about is whether my brother was going to be okay.

I bring my head out of my arms to check on Cody. Still unconscious. I grab his hand, my other brushing the hair off his face. I'm careful not to touch the bandage on his head. "Oh Cody, I'm so sorry," I whisper hoarsely. My voice is rough and raw from all the crying I've done today. "I never meant for you to get hurt. It was just a prank. A stupid, childish prank."

I start stroking his face. Just touching him makes me feel closer to him. A thought hits me. This is the closest I've felt to my twin in a long time. Deep inside I know why. I've never spent actual time with him. Instead I borrow stuff and pull pranks on him. I'm the worst excuse for an older brother. I'll never forgive myself if he doesn't make it.

"I love you, Cody," I whisper. "I love you so much. I want you to know that. You're the only reason I keep on living. Please wake up, buddy. I swear I will never pull a prank on you ever again!"

Right when I squeeze his hand, I feel movement. Cody's blue eyes are fluttering open. Relief spreads through me from head to toe. He's waking up.

******Cody**

My head hurts so bad I feel like it has been split in two. I feel very cold and I'm having a hard time breathing. The world is dark. Where am I? Slowly I open my eyes. I wince as my vision adjusts to the light. I'm in the ship's infirmary. How did I get here?

I feel a hand move hair out of my face. I look over to see my twin sitting beside me. Then I remember. The prank, the rope breaking. Emotional pain adds to the physical. Why is he here? All he does is make my life hell. He doesn't care. I glare at him. "What are you doing here? Having a good laugh?"

Zack chokes on a sob, grabbing my attention. I realize his face is pale, tearstained and full of guilt. His body is shaking violently. I've never seen him upset like this before. "No. I'm here to make sure you're all right."

"Well I'm fine, no thanks to you," I snarl at him. "Get the hell out!"

He swallows hard, a fresh tear falling down his face. "I don't blame you for hating me. I will never forgive myself for almost causing your death. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry with every inch of my being and that I love you."

He gets up unsteadily from the chair next to me. He's about to pull his hand away, but for some reason I refuse to let go. For the first time ever I hear something in his quivering voice: sincerity. Our eyes lock. Another tear spills down his face. "Zack, you've never told me you loved me before," I whisper.

Zack sits down again, but this time next to me on the infirmary bed. He refuses to look at me. "Well, I do," his voice cracks. "I love you more than anything. You're the only reason I'm still living." He runs a hand through his golden hair. "I know I haven't been a very good brother, and I'm really sorry. I've never been good at showing my emotions. I think that's the reason I pull pranks on you all the time. It's the only way I can show how much I care."

Using all my strength, I pull myself into a sitting position. Pain throbs from my head, but I ignore it. Zack still refuses to look at me. I sigh and look at my hands. "There are other ways you can show that you care. Maybe instead of pulling pranks, you and I can start hanging out again, you know like when we stayed at the hotel. In fact, I'd like to spend more time with you."

He turns and finally looks at me. "Does that mean…that you forgive me?" His voice is hopeful.

Deep inside, I realize that I have forgiven him. He wasn't trying to hurt me on purpose. It was just a stupid prank gone wrong. He's my twin and I love him with all my heart. I've never been able to stay mad. "Of course," I whisper. "You're my twin and best friend. I can never stay mad."

Zack smiles back. He scoots over and wraps his arms around me gently. I hug him back, enjoying his warmth. I just realized how cold I still really am. My body temperature must still be really low from being in the water. Zack must've noticed me shivering, because he lets go for a second. He takes off his jacket and wraps it around my shoulders, then puts his arms around me once more, his grip tight. I snuggle into him, enjoying his warmth.

"I love you, Zack," I whisper.

"I love you too, Cody," he whispers back.

Hearing him say that he loves me once more makes me warmer than his body heat. As we hold onto each other I feel warm and happy. I can't wait to spend real time with my brother again. Just like the old times.

******The End**

******Thanks for reading. Please review :)**


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